Quote Originally Posted by Squirt's Mom View Post
Hi Jade,

Sorry your sweet girl is having such a tough time. I think stopping the Vetoryl is a good idea. At her age the constant vet visits and pokes and prods are a bit much. I am sure she would appreciate not have to face that any more at all. Letting the cortisol rise can also help with her arthritis and may help with the appetite. If it does not help with the appetite, then I would say there is the sign you are looking for. My little Chi that passed in Dec, who was not a cush pup, had one thing left that brought her joy - food. When the day came that she turned her nose up at food I knew that was the sign she was ready to move on. My Squirt also stopped eating and drinking - I would syringe food or water into her mouth and they would just roll back out. She had had enough. She was a cush pup, 16+ at the time, and I had stopped her treatment the year before. Whatever you decide we will be here with you. Know that whatever you decide is the right decision - no decision made from a place of love is wrong.

Hugs,
Leslie

Dear Leslie, thank you for your advice! This really helps me structure what I need to do....I was feeling and thinking a mess - just overwhelmed. She has been off the Vetoryl for a couple of days - she actually started spitting it out last week, in addition to her other pills, which was unusual for her - normally she would just gobble it up in food. Anyway, now I think there may have been a reason for that. So I will see if her appetite and arthritis pain improve - and just as you said, if her appetite doesn't improve enough, that will be our sign. She has lost so much weight, she can't go much longer not eating - she is down to 11 lbs now, and the vet didn't want her any lower than 14. To think when she was healthy she was 18 - she was such a little torpedo. You know, it's hard for me to remember the old days - literally hard because so much has happened in life since then, for me and for her, but also to think back of the happier days just makes me too sad. It will be a long time before I can think about old times. Anyway, back to the topic - if her appetite improves enough, but her arthritis does not, then I may ask for stronger arthritis meds that they had been holding off on for Cushings. If arthritis improves due to her natural cortisol, great. Then, next week, I'll see what the eye doctor says. If her vision isn't coming back, then that will tell me it is time. If there is further chance for improvement - IF my dog is feeling better and eating better just from being off the Vetoryl, then I may do more eye treatment. But I"m not sure.... Furthermore.....I don't want to wait until there is a medical emergency to have to drag her off to the ER for euthanasia. My hope and plan is to arrange for the vet to come to my home, so it does need to be somewhat peaceful, planned out, not an emergency situation, so that may be sooner rather than later. I just feel like I have run out of whatever "fluid" it takes to maintain a steady and logical and patient course of endurance. My tank has begun to sputter. And it's such an awful decision to decide when to euthanize your own baby. It's bad enough that I'm fairly certain I don't even want any more pets. I know that sounds drastic, but I just don't think I can deal with it emotionally again for a long time. I don't even know when I can stand to think of my good memories with my dog. I've been through some terrible, rocky life situations with this dog - for 12 years. Her dying is going to bring up so much confusion is going to bring up all of the awful things I've run away from in my past, but also will make me sad for all the wonderful things I enjoyed with my dog in the past that are now gone forever.